I've known APK / The Circular Ruins (also Lammergeyer and Nunc Stans) since the old mp3.com days - which means I've known him just over a decade now. He's an excellent musician, and an excellent label owner. This album is one of the best I've heard from him. A beautiful blend of all the various directions he's gone over the years with his music.

In order to NOT have APK come in here and wield his super mega Admin powers on my post (which I'll mention - I have the same powers... I think a duel with key-tars at 20 paces seems appropriate, no?)

...APK's new album weaves a wonderful marriage between what I think of as classic melodic synth music and atmospheric ambient. APK has often leaned more towards that berlin school / sequencery side of the fence that I've never recorded anything in that territory so it's always fun for me to hear his work.

But in this album (and others of course) - he brings on that more atmospheric side that I gravitate to so much. There's a very nice almost unique blending of the styles that I've heard him do before, but this album hits the nail on the head.

The only bit I'm not sure I like is there are some voices on track 2... haven't decided if I like them or not yet - but that's ok - most of the best albums take more than a couple listens to truly dig into and I think this album is worth digging into.

You are correct ... I was going to move your first post to Now Playing, but you snuck the next post in before I got around to it.

Voices on track 2 : you know that I put barely audible voices in most of my albums in various places. In this case though they are actually audible, but it is to do with the title of the track. In a curious way (given that they are instrumental) most of my albums are concept albums. Hope that makes sense.

Though I'd add this perceptive little review from Chuck van Zyl into this thread.It is much appreciated on my part.-------------------------------

The Circular Ruins is one name under which Anthony Paul Kerby releases hisatmospheric sonic excursions. His album WE LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND(61'35") sounds like Ambient Music of the first order. Unhurried andengrossing it seems a universe unto itself. Using the simple elements ofharmony, timbre and occasionally rhythm to express himself, Kerby's workachieves a kind of psychological insight that more conventional modes ofmusic rarely touches upon. WE LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND leaves theimpression that it has been made using electronic instrumentation, butcertain aspects to the character of the sounds found within the 12meticulously arranged pieces present a more organic or acoustic quality.Reed-like synthesizer melodies whisper across a churning, swirlingprogression of strings which declines into a strange digital habitatexpanding and contracting in uneven waves. Diffuse environmental audioclips and found voices give great depth to the cyber world scenery. Agreat density and drama may be found arising at various points, only to bestrikingly contrasted by moments of tenderness and fragility. This kind ofmusic allows us to transcend our own world and partake in utterlydifferent realities. The Circular Ruins hopes to take the listener on ajourney deep into a realm of secrets, and return us home changed.